A more open market is the way to get Britain’s railways back on track

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Above: The Flying Scotsman returns. A radical shake-up is needed for Britain's railways

Debate on improving the experience of rail passengers inevitably focuses on the here and now. If you’re reading this while delayed on a train, or you’re unhappy about the cost of your train ticket, you will want to see swift improvements.

But we need to see today’s rail experience in context. We have come a long way since the early days of privatisation. Total passenger journeys on Britain’s rail network have risen 60pc over the last decade to more than 1.6bn in 2014-15. Investment over the same period has exceeded £50bn. And there is evidence that long-suffering passengers are suffering rather less, with overall satisfaction ratings measured by Transport Focus rising from 72pc in 2002 to 83pc...